Polish christmas carols are almost all anonymous and have a
folk song feeling,
making them national in character. Johan de Meij has taken five of
these
traditional carols and composed this suite after he attended a
Christmas
service while on holiday in Poland. The opening carol is Poklon
Jezusowi
(Homage to Jesus) whose bright rhythm is slowed for the rich
and reverent
Mizerna, cicha (Poor and Quiet). Trumpets announce Aniol
pasterzom
mówil (An Angel Told the Shepherds), followed by a
staccato treatment
of Gdy sliczna Panna (When the Lovely Virgin). Rich
bell tones complement
the melody of Jam jest dudka (I am the musician of the Lord).

This selection is one of six included in the Suite,
which Debussy
(1862 - 1918) dedicated to his five year old daughter. The titles have
been
explained as suggesting the games played by a French girl with an
English
governess. Debussy had great enthusiasm for the American cakewalk, here
presented
with much rhythm and vitality. The tune itself is said to be one
Debussy
heard played by the Grenedier Guards in London, but it is doubtless
made
more brusque and jaunty by his droll, even gawkish treatment of it.

Petite Suite

Originally written as a piano duet, the Petite Suite
has become better
known in its transcription by Henri Busser. With four hands at his
disposal,
Debussy was able to experiment more easily with unusual textures. The
Menuet contains two beautiful passages where
melodies are doubled
at the 10th below. The final Ballet is
uncharacteristic of Debussy
at any period, exhibiting a festive bluntness that might have been
modeled
after the works of Chabrier.

With an impressive list of over 600 compositions for wind
band, orchestra, and chorus, Elliot Del Borgo is well respected in the
music world. Born Octover 27, 1938, in Port Chester, New York, Del
Borgo earned a B.S. degree from the State University of New York (SUNY)
(1960), an Ed.M. degree from Temple University (1962), and a M.M degree
from the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music (1962). His principal
instructors were Vincent Persichetti and Robert Washburn for
composition, Gilber Johnson for trumpet, Morris Shotock for violin, and
Harry I. Phillips and N. Brock McElheran for conducting. In 1993, he
was granted the doctoral equivalency by SUNY. From 1961-1966, Del Borgo
taught instrumental music in the public schools in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. From 1966 to 1995, he was a Professor of Music and held
administrative positions at SUNY Crane School of Music. In his
retirement, he is sought out as a lecturer, clinician, and adjudicator.
His energetic and firm, but humorous, style makes him welcome by middle
and high school students. His willingness to share of his musical
experience is welcomed by teachers and performers. He runs his
publishing and clinic operations seasonally from North Port, Florida,
and Cape Vincent, New York.

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

The Dylan Thomas poem of the same title was the motivation for
Del Borgo’s composition. It does not attempt to be a musical
representation of the poem, but it attempts to capture the moods, joys,
and struggles it contains. The poem expresses a son’s love for his
father. Thomas’ father was very ill and nearing the end of his life.
Although his father would never see the poem, in Thomas’ mind he
implores him to fight against his illness and to treasure the happiness
that life can give. People of action would grieve before their leaving
and rage for not finishing all they could have done. He wishes for his
father’s blessing, but understands the father’s curses of jealousy for
the son’s continuing to live.

Stanza 1 Do not go gentle into
that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of
day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the
light.
Stanza 6 And you, my father, there on the
sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce
tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the
light.

Italian composer Davide Delle Cese (1856 - 1938) received his initial
musical
instruction from his godfather, Antonio Geminiani, a theater conductor
in
Rome. He received formal musical training at the Conservatory of San
Pietro
a Majella in Naples. After more than 3 years of work and at age 26,
Delle
Cese had scored for wind band all of the known national anthems.
Following
military service, he led bands in Pontecorvo, Venice, and San Leo,
finally
settling in the port of Bitonto where he became resident
band­master.
He wrote more than 35 pieces for band including marches, lyric works,
waltzes,
and mazurkas.

Little English Girl (L'Inglesina)

This symphonic march was composed in 1897 and has been ranked
as the 10th
most popular march in the world. It begins with a lilting melody,
remi­niscent of
L’Inglesina. The march
contains
sweet melodies, just like arias in an opera. Once heard, played, or
conducted,
it becomes a part of you and the measure for others of the classic
Italian
marcia simfonico style.

Norman Dello Joio descends from a long line of Italian church
organists.
Born in New York City in 1913, he received his musical training from
his
father, an organist and a coach for the Metropolitan Opera. Dello Joio
recalls
growing up surrounded by musicians and music in his home. He began
working
as a church organist and choirmaster at the age of 12. In 1939, he
received
a scholarship to study at the Juilliard School of Music. Believing that
composition suited his interests better than being an organist, Dello
Joio
studied under Paul Hindemith at Tanglewood and the Yale School of
Music.
He began his teaching career at Sarah Lawrence College, became a
professor
of composition at Mannes College (1956-72), and professor of music and
dean
of the Fine and Applied Arts School of Boston University (1972-9).
Hindemith
praised the lyrical nature of Dello Joio’s music. A prolific
composer,
Dello Joio has written for chorus, orchestra, and band, along with many
works
for solo instruments. His accolades include the Pulitzer Prize in 1957
for
Meditations on Ecclesiastes and
an Emmy Award for The Louvre in
1965. He was musically active until his death on July 23, 2008 at his
home in East Hampton, NY.

Fantasies on a Theme by Haydn

Fantasies on a
Theme by Haydn was commissioned by the Michigan School
Band and Orchestra Association in 1968 in honor of the retirement of
Leonard Falcone, Director of Bands at Michigan State University, and in
recognition of his devoted service to music, to education and to his
colleagues. Dello Joio commented:

This work for band is based on a theme from a
composition for piano by
Joseph Haydn. The subtly conceived theme, I concluded, offered an
opportunity to fantasize in the musical language of today. The three
movements are a constantly varied examination of Haydn’s
basic idea. The bubbling humor of the first and third fantasies flank a
second which is intensely lyric. In the final sense, it is my homage to
a composer who will always remain contemporary.

After a bold introduction led by a cornet fanfare, Dello Joio
introduces
the theme that forms the basis of these
Variants, composed in 1963. The
mel­ody of
In dulci jubilo is often associated
with the Christmas carol
Good Christian Men, Rejoice, but
it has been dated back to the early 16th century and Martin Luther, who
probably
borrowed it from older non-liturgical music. The first variation
(Allegro deciso) rushes by with
such speed that it is hard to recognize that it is based on notes two
through
five of the melody. The trumpets announce the peasant style of the next
variation
(Lento, pesante), with the theme
being found in the woodwinds and low brass. The rapidly articulated
notes
of the clarinets hide the theme in the third variation
(Allegro spumante). This contrasts
with the rich, dark quality
of the bassoons and bass clarinets in the next variation
(Andante). An increase in dynamic
level gives the brass a turn
with the theme until it slowly fades away. The final variation
(Allegro glorioso) is a spirited
proclamation of the theme and
conclusion of the work.

Luigi Denza was born in Castellammare, Italy, on February 24,
1846.
He studied at the Naples Conservatory. He settled in London in 1887 and
became a professor of singing at the Royal Academy of Music in 1898. He
wrote one opera, Wallenstein,
and over 600 songs. Many of his songs became popular, but could not
match the success of Funiculi,
Funicula. Denza died in London on January 26, 1922.

Yo Goto was born in Akita, Japan, in 1958. In 1975, while
still a
student at Yokote High School, his Sokkyo kyoku (Improvisation) was
chosen to be a test piece for a band competition the following year.
After graduating from Yamagata University as a music education major,
he studied with Shinichiro Ikebe and Joju Kaneda at the Tokyo College
of Music, graduating as a Specialist of Composition. Goto has composed
and arranged a number of works, many of which are useful in teaching
music education. He is an active music critic, clinician, and
researcher. He is a board member of the Academic Society for Winds,
Percussion, and Band.

Funiculi
- Funicula Rhapsody

This Rhapsody
is a delightful
set of variations on the famous melody written by Luigi Denza.
Following a fanfare introduction, the composition transitions to a
tarantella led by the trombones. Each section of the ensemble gets a
turn at interpreting the melody and dynamics. Polyrhythms give way to a
simple, slow romantic rendering. The listener is returned to the
excitement and vibrancy of the original melody in an effective finale.
The words to Funiculi,
Funicula
were written by journalist Peppino Turco and set to music by Luigi
Denza in 1880 on the occasion of the opening of the first funicular
railway on Mt. Vesuvius. Although the song was composed in only a few
hours, it has remained popular for more than a century. Even Richard
Strauss included the tune in the fourth movement of his Aus Italien (1886),
believing it to be a popular Neapolitan folk tune.

Carmen Dragon is a conductor, composer, arranger, music educator, and a
radio
and television personality -- a complete musician. As music
director-conductor
of the Glendale, California, Symphony Orchestra, he has brought new
excitement
and personality to the Los Angeles concert scene. He has composed and
conducted
scores to thirty motion pictures and has released fifty-seven
best-selling
record albums. Personable, gregarious, at home in all areas of public
performance, at ease before audiences young and old, Dragon is among
the
nation's most respected and beloved musicians.

The basis of this scherzo was a ballad by Goethe, based on a
tale by the
Greek poet Lucian (120- 180 AD). This timeless story depicts a young
magician's
apprentice who tries to lighten his workload by experimenting with
magic
spells he has seen his master use. When the boy is alone, he commands a
broom
to go to the well to fetch water for the house. The broom obliges all
too
well and the apprentice finds that he does not know how to command the
broom
to stop, when the basin begins to overflow, soon filling the room with
water.
In desperation, the boy uses an axe to stop the broom's progress, but
instead
he creates two slaves bent on fulfilling the task. Near to drowning,
the
apprentice calls for help. The sorcerer arrives and takes command of
the
scene with a few magic words; both parts of the broom fly back into the
corner,
the waters recede, and peace returns to the scene. Premiered
in Paris
in 1897, the work became a favorite of audiences. Walt Disney's casting
of
Mickey Mouse in the role of the apprentice in the film Fantasia gained
an
even wider audience for this moral lesson.

Charles Edward Duble was born in Jeffersonville, Indiana, in 1884. He
had a stong talent for music and he became proficient on the trombone.
His first march, Floral City, was composed in 1905 and he published 11
more be for he began his professional career as trombonist in 1909,
when he joined the Sun Brothers Circus. His most famous marches are Bravura (1918), Battle of the Winds
(1917), The Circus King
(1916), Under White
Tents (1908), and Wizard of the West (1908). He completed
his composing career in 1928 with a total of 31 marches and two
waltzes. Duble’s role as a circus musician spanned 23 years and
included more than a score of circuses, shows, and wild west acts that
included the Gentry Brothers Famous Dog & Pony Show and ended
in the Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey Combined
Shows under the direction of Merle Evans. He wrote many articles for
“Bandwagon,” the Journal of the Circus Historical Society, also serving
as Associate Editor. His dedication to preserving the history
of circus music continued to his death in 1960 in his home town, where
he spent many of his later years. Windjammers Unlimited, a circus
historical society, honored Charles Duble as the 10th inductee into
their Hall of Fame.

Bravura

Bravura is
the most famous of Charles Edward Duble’s thirty-one marches.
As the title announces, it declares the show of daring, exceptional
ability, and technical skill that is displayed by circus performers and
musicians. Written in 1918 while Duble was playing trombone with the
Sells-Floto Circus, it is a much enjoyed circus “screamer” that was
suitable for the opening parade of performers, a wild animal act, or or
for aerialists swinging under the great white tents. Listen for the
important passages that he wrote for the brass sections.

Greatest of the Czech composers, Antonin Dvorak (1841 - 1904) brought
to
fruition the nationalism pioneered by Bedrich Smetana. Son of an
innkeeper
and butcher, he received his initial musical education from the local
cantor,
Josef Spitz. In his sixteenth year, he undertook systematic study in
Prague.
By 1866, he was an orchestral viola player and had already composed
several
chamber works, two symphonies, a Mass, a cello concerto, and a set of
love
songs. He received a prize in 1874 from the Austrian government, which
led
him to meet Brahms, from whose friendship he greatly profited. His Slavonic
Dances, in which he first made use of the national idiom,
established
his reputation as a composer and gained the attention of the musical
community.
In 1892, Dvorak accepted the position of Director of the National
Conservatory
in New York, where he served until 1895, when he returned to Bohemia to
head
the Prague Conservatory.

Finale from The New World Symphony

This symphony was the first work that Dvorák
composed after his arrival
in New York to take up the post of Director of the National
Conservatory
of Music. It was written while the composer was separated from most of
his
family and all of his friends and he was trying to cope with a new
culture.
Although Dvorák encouraged the belief that his new symphony
was to
some extent “American,” for it does quote the Negro
spiritual
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, it remains essentially a
Czech work. This
final movement recapitulates the material of the other movements of the
symphony.
The principal theme is announced in the brasses after a brief
introduction.
A lively bridge passage leads to the second theme, which is much
quieter
and more song-like in character. During the development, echoes of the
themes
of preceding movements are heard and the work finally reaches a
thunderous
climax.